The Netherlands, the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup runners-up, emerged as the top team in Group E after an unbeaten group stage (W2, D1). They showcased their dominance with a resounding 7-0 victory over Vietnam, which served as more of a training exercise against weaker opposition. The Dutch team will kick off in Sydney as clear favorites against South Africa, the lowest-ranked team to reach the knockout phase.

The Netherlands' recent form has been impressive, with seven wins, one draw, and two losses in their last ten games. Within this stretch, they secured five victories by a margin of three or more goals, demonstrating their ability to produce resounding wins consistently. Their performance in the group stage showed that they tend to grow into games, often scoring multiple goals after halftime.

South Africa, on the other hand, has been resilient and impressive in their journey to the knockout phase. They secured a stunning 3-2 victory over Italy, a team ranked just seven places below the Dutch in FIFA's rankings. The match was marked by a post-hour mark goal and assist from Thembi Kgatlana, who played brilliantly despite facing personal tragedies in the past fortnight. Manager Desiree Ellis hailed the victory as "amazing," and the team will be looking to continue their historic run in the competition.

However, South Africa faces a formidable challenge against the Dutch, as they have lost all eight prior head-to-head encounters. The overall history against European sides currently in FIFA's top-20 has been unfavorable for South Africa, with only three wins, one draw, and a staggering 21 losses.

Key players to watch in this clash include Netherlands' Esmee Brugts, who netted a brace against Vietnam and has a remarkable record of scoring in games where the Dutch secure a clean sheet. For South Africa, Hildah Magaia has been in rich form, contributing significantly to the team's success, and currently stands on five goals in six games.

As the two teams face off in Sydney, there is a sense of anticipation to see if South Africa can produce another historic upset or if the Netherlands will continue their dominating form to progress further in the tournament. I believe we're far more likely to the second outcome as Netherlands have far more quality within their team compared to the South African counterpart.

2019年女足世界杯亚军荷兰队在小组赛(W2, D1)中保持不败，成为E组第一名。他们以7比0完胜越南，展示了自己的统治力，这场比赛更像是一场针对实力较弱的对手的训练。荷兰队将在悉尼开赛，对手南非是淘汰赛阶段排名最低的球队。

荷兰队最近的状态令人印象深刻，在最近10场比赛中取得了7胜1平2负的成绩。在这段时间里，他们以3球或3球以上的优势取得了5场胜利，证明了他们有能力持续取得辉煌的胜利。他们在小组赛中的表现表明，他们倾向于在比赛中成长，经常在半场结束后打进多个进球。

另一方面，南非队在淘汰赛阶段表现得很顽强，给人留下了深刻的印象。他们以惊人的3比2战胜了意大利队，意大利队在国际足联的排名中只比荷兰队低7位。这场比赛的亮点是泰姆比·卡拉特纳在最后时刻的进球和助攻，尽管他在过去两周遭遇了个人悲剧，但他表现出色。主教练德西雷·埃利斯称赞这场胜利是“惊人的”，球队将继续在比赛中保持历史悠久的势头。

然而，面对荷兰队，南非将面临巨大的挑战，因为他们在之前的8次交锋中都输掉了比赛。南非在对阵国际足联前20强的欧洲球队的历史上表现不佳，只有3胜1平，21负。

在这场比赛中值得关注的关键球员包括荷兰队的埃斯米·布鲁格斯(Esmee bruges)，他在对阵越南的比赛中梅开二度，并在荷兰队零封对手的比赛中保持着出色的进球记录。对于南非来说，希尔达·马加亚状态良好，为球队的成功做出了重大贡献，目前在6场比赛中打进5球。

当两支球队在悉尼交锋时，人们期待看到南非是否能再次创造历史性的颠覆，或者荷兰是否会继续他们的统治状态，在比赛中进一步前进。我相信我们更有可能出现第二种结果，因为荷兰队的实力要比南非队强得多。